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Henry Mahan

The Security of Believers

Psalm 91
Henry Mahan • July, 20 1994 • Audio
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Message: 1156a
Henry Mahan Tape Ministry
6088 Zebulon Highway
Pikeville, KY 41501

Sermon Transcript

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Alright, let's open our Bibles
again to Psalm 91. Psalm 91. Now, one of our men
read this Psalm a few days ago, and I've wanted to speak to you
from this Psalm. since I heard him read it, it
was such a special blessing and encouragement to me while he
was reading the psalm, that I was anxious to come to this time
and pass along what the Lord has been pleased to show me from
this scripture. Now some say that Moses wrote
this psalm, because he's the author of the preceding psalm,
90. See, that's the psalm of Moses. Psalm 91 is not identified,
but many believe that Moses wrote it. Others say that David wrote
it, but it matters little because they both wrote of Christ and
his people. I know that Satan referred to
this psalm. If you take a look in Matthew,
Chapter 4, when our Lord was fasting on the mountain, Satan came to Him to tempt Him,
tempt the man, Christ Jesus. In Matthew 4, verses 5 and 6,
he quoted Psalm 91, verse 11, Psalm 91, 11, here in Matthew
4, verse 5. Then the devil taketh him up
into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple.
He said, how do you do that to the Lord God? This is the man,
Christ Jesus. This is the Messiah. This is
Christ in human flesh that Satan's dealing with. And he said to
him, now if thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it's
written, it's written in Psalm 91, 11, he shall give his angels
charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee
up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. That's
what's written, he said, about the people of God, those who
are sons of God. So Satan was pleased to quote
this psalm to the master when he was trying him on the mountain. You see, this psalm is all about
the promises of God to the Messiah and his people. They're one.
What is said here of Christ applies to his people who are in him.
So this is all about the promises of of the living God to Messiah
and to his people, and it's about the protection. You're going
to see this as we deal with this protection. He'll give his angels
charge over you. He'll provide for you, and he'll
protect you. He'll hedge you about. You don't
have to worry. And it's all about the provisions
and care of the living God for Messiah and his people. You see,
his people are different. This is not for everyone. This
is for those who dwell in the secret place. This is not for
everyone. This is for those who abide under
the shadow of the Almighty. This is special food for special folks,
for the Messiah and his people. You see, I want to show you another
scripture in the book of Exodus chapter 11. The Lord puts a difference
between His people and the world. Between His people and the people
of the world. He makes a difference. There
is a difference. In Exodus 11, verse 7, when He
was telling Moses about His coming through Egypt that night of the
Passover, He said in verse 6, there shall
be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, tragedy, terrible
catastrophe, death of the firstborn, such as none like it nor shall
be like it anymore. This is the night of nights.
But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move
his tongue. against man or beast, not only,
not against the people of God, but their possessions also will
be protected, that you may know how the Lord doth put a difference
between the Egyptians and Israel. There's a difference. You are
special. You're special people. You're
peculiar people. You're a holy nation. You're
a royal priesthood. You're a chosen generation. This
is not written to everybody. Let me show you another scripture.
1 Chronicles. 1 Chronicles. You've heard preachers refer
to this scripture here occasionally when they're trying to get folks
off their backs. In 1 Chronicles chapter 16, they'll
say, Touch not my anointed, nor do my prophets no harm. But the
Lord's talking about His people. He's not talking about preachers
here. Chronicles 16. He's talking about Israel. Let's
read this. What I'm trying to point out
to you is if you're His, if you're given to Christ, if you dwell
in that secret place, if you abide under the shadow of the
Almighty, you're special. You're the apple of His eye,
the pupil of His eye. Nothing's going to happen to
you without His permission. And this can't be said of everybody. This is these special people. Now listen to 1 Chronicles 16,
verse 14. Remember, remember His marvelous
works that He hath done, His wonders, the judgments of His
mouth. O ye seed of Israel, His servant,
ye children of Jacob, His chosen ones, He is the Lord our God. We're not just riffraff, we're
not just somebody coming down the pike, as Scott said, coming
to town on the back of a pickup truck. We're God's people. Special. He's our God, His judgments in
all the earth. Verse 15, Be ye mindful always
of His covenant. The word which He commanded a
thousand generations, even the covenant He made with Abraham,
and of His oath to Isaac, And he hath confirmed the same to
Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant,
saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of
your inheritance, when you were but few, even a few and strangers
in it. And when they went from nation
to nation, and from one kingdom to another people, to another
people, he suffered no man to do them wrong. Yea, he reproved
kings for their sakes, saying, Don't you touch my anointed,
My people. Be careful. They're my people. I'm jealous, a jealous God. I tell these preachers when they're
building churches and building a place to meet, I said, you
make that nursery nice now because mama's not going to trust her
baby just anywhere. That's the pride of her life.
That's the apple of her eye. You better fix that place nice
where she's going to come in and turn her baby over to somebody
and say, I'm going in there and worship, you take care of my
little one. And if we're so peculiar and particular about our little
ones, think how God is about His little ones. Don't you touch
them. That's what He's talking about here. Don't you touch my
anointed and do my prophets no harm. My people and my preachers. But the anointed are my people.
Alright, let's look at this psalm now. Verse 1, Psalm 91, He that
dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High. Where is that?
Well, back in these Old Testament days, the secret place was the
Holy of Holies. Within the veil, that's the secret
place. That's where the mercy seat was.
That's where the presence of God was revealed. God's glory
rested above the mercy seat between the cherubim. And only the high
priest was allowed to go there. And that once a year with the
blood, Christ said, God said, I'll meet you at the mercy seat.
I'll commune with you at the mercy seat. And I'll tell you by the righteousness
of Christ and by His precious blood, you and I, the people
of God, may enter into the Holy of Holies and dwell there. And dwell there. It's your privilege to dwell
there. We don't run in and run out. We dwell there. We dwell in the secret place
of the Most High. We're seated together with Christ
in the heavenlies. Not in the place made with hands,
but in heaven itself. He's blessed us with spiritual
blessing in heavenly places. We're in the presence of God.
In the person of our forerunner, already seated, He said, He that
dwelleth in that secret place of the Most High shall abide. That word abide is shall lodge,
shall remain. That's the place where He lodges,
that's the place He inhabits, that's the place where He dwells.
We abide under the shadow of the Almighty, under His care,
under His protection. The Almighty, the Almighty means
omnipotence, all-powerful. And He's where His shadow is.
You know the picture I got here? of a little boy and a little
girl out playing in the yard. And the daddy's out there with
them. And there's his shadow. And they don't need to look up
and make sure he's there. They just see his shadow. And
not a trace of fear enters their heart ever. They're not concerned
at all. There's his shadow. There's his
shadow. And he's where his shadow is.
Can you imagine a child being afraid when he sees his father's
great, strong shadow encircling him? And that's what it says
here. We dwell in the secret place
of the Most High and we abide, we lodge under the shadow, under
the care, under the protection of the Almighty, the Omnipotent
God. Why should I fear? I will say
of the Lord, verse 2, I will say of the Lord, He's my refuge.
He's my hiding place from the storm. I'll say of the Lord,
He's my fortress. He's my defense. Who can lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? Who is He that can dare
me? He's my fortress. He's my defense. He's my God in whom I trust. to whom I have
committed my soul, he that dwelleth." Now what's these four names he
gives to the Lord God here? With reverence, he considers
the Most High. He says in verse 1, we dwell
in the secret place, in the throne room, in the Holy of Holies,
in the presence of the Most High. What an awesome thought! We dwell
in the presence of the Most High God. Look at the next word. And we abide, we lodge under
the shadow, under the protection and care of the Almighty. What rest! What reverence! What rest! What confidence! What peace! I'm not afraid. Ought not be. And then he says,
rejoicing, I will say of the Lord. He had told us about this
the other night. Jehovah, my Savior, the God-man,
the Lord. When you see that word, capital
L, capital O, capital R, capital D, it's Jehovah. I rejoice in
Him, my Savior. Like Mary, my soul rejoices in
God, my Savior. And then here's again what you
said that night, Elohim, my God, my God, the God above all gods
I read while ago, my God, who is the mighty God, in Him I can
trust. In Him I trust. Oh, what a blessing,
special people, special people. Then these next verses express,
that's the believer's dwelling place. Now these next verses
present the believer's confidence in the total care of the Lord.
I want you to watch this. I love the, you know, all of
us are acquainted with doubts and fears and uncertainties and
they're our own fault. Can't blame anybody but us. When
we live in doubt and fear and uncertainty And all of this,
it's our own fault. Don't magnify these doubts and
fears because they're dishonoring to God. Dishonoring. They really are. They're dishonoring
to God. And I love the shalls and the
wills of these verses. Listen, verse 3. Surely He shall
deliver thee from the snare of the fowler. He shall deliver
thee. What is this fowler? Well, it
suggests a trap. A snare is a trap. And it suggests
one who snares birds, traps birds. And that reminds me of Satan,
the dirty bird. He's a snare. Deliver us from
the evil one, the one who traps and snares. And He'll He'll deliver
thee from the trap and from the snare of the fowler. And listen, and from the norsome pestilence.
The word norsome is, it means wicked. Wicked, pestilence. Pestilence is plague. He shall
deliver you from the wicked, naughty, plague, he shall deliver
you from the curse and the penalty and the power of sin. He shall. Not a doubt about it. Not a doubt
about it. And then verse 4, listen, he
shall. He shall cover thee with his
feathers, and under his wing shalt thou trust. Spurgeon said
if this were not inspired, if the writer of the psalm was not
writing under divine inspiration. He said this would border on
blasphemy, comparing the Lord God to a chicken, a hen. But that's exactly what he's
doing here, yet God inspired it. And you picture that old
hen out in the barnyard and these little bitties are running around,
seven or eight, nine or ten of them, and the hawk circles about. Or maybe the rain cloud comes
up or the lightning or thunder And she spreads those big wings
and feathers and those little birds just, those little chickens
just come, bitties come and get right under her. She just sits
down beside them and all of them. Can't even find them or see them.
And once in a while you might see a little pink nose sticking
out, but they're all under the wings. And that's what He said,
He shall cover thee with His feathers and under His wings
shalt thou find refuge. and protection, confidence, safety,
comfort. Nothing's going to harm you.
You have to get to that old mother hen before you can touch one
of those babies. And that's what he's saying here. Like Spurgeon
said now, he said, if that wasn't inspired, he said, I think it
was born on blasphemy, but that's what he says here. He shall cover
you with his feathers. And under his wings you can find
comfort and trust and rest. His truth shall be thy shield
and buckler. I know what a shield is. A shield
may be any size. The old-timey warriors had big
shields. But a buckler, they say, is a
small shield held by the hand or on the arm. For defense. But here, in this
word, in this passage, the word shield here means that which
surrounds a person and protects him from the enemy. And that's
what protects us. His truth. His truth is my shield. His truth is my buckler. His
truth is my answer to those who would question. my faith. Look at Hebrews, let me just
read this to you if you don't want to look it up. In Hebrews
13 verse 5 it says this, His truth is my shield and buckler,
that which protects me against the onslaught of my enemies.
It says in verse 5 of Hebrews 13, let your conversation be
without covetousness and be content with such things as you have.
Content with where you are and what you have and who you are.
Be content. Why? Because He said, I'll never
leave you and I'll never forsake you. So you can boldly say, the
Lord is my helper and I'll not fear what man can do unto me.
How can you say the Lord is my helper? Because He said so. How
can you say I will not fear what man shall do to me? Because He
said that. How can you say we have nothing
to fear? Because He said that. And that's
your shield, that's your buckler, that wards off the arrows of
the enemy who want to cause you to doubt and fear and be afraid. Look at verse 5 of Psalm 91,
Thou shalt not be afraid. Thou shalt not be afraid. Now
what's these things I'm going to talk about here? And this is common everyday things. You'll not be afraid. Now this
is not written, you can't take this out. It's like when our son Robbie was killed
and some people commented about the grace and strength that we
found in Christ and in the Word of God. I talked about Doris'
conduct and mine, other things, and I had people write to me
and say, I have a friend that lost a son, I want you to write
and tell them where they can find strength, and I have a friend
that had a so-and-so die, I want you to write and tell them where
you got the strength. This strength and grace is not
for everybody, it's for the people who dwell in the secret place. This is something God gives man
can't give. This is something can't be imitated. It has to be a gift of grace.
You say this because He said it to you. I've got no right
to claim what He didn't give me. You understand what I'm pointing
out? So these everyday terrors, now listen, don't be afraid of
the terror by night. What is that? Well, darkness
falls. It's falling out there now. And
the workers of darkness roam, the thieves, the robbers, the
proud, the drunks, the folks that do evil things, usually
do them at night, terrors of the night. You don't have to
be afraid. You don't have to be afraid.
The night is light about thee. That's exactly what that's saying.
Don't be afraid. of the terrors by night. I had a friend one time, every
time it come a rainstorm, she'd get her little girl and go under
the bed, go hide under the bed. Don't do naughty things like
that. Don't do that. And don't you be afraid of the
terror by night. You're God's And listen, don't
you be afraid of the error that flies by day. What is that? Well,
that's floods and storms and tragedies and so-called accidents
on the highway and in the air. You don't have to be afraid.
Not for the terror and the darkness, nor even for the errors that
fly by day. And you don't have to, verse
6, be afraid of the pestilence that walketh in darkness. That's
disease and demons Plagues and things that sweep over the nation.
Somebody said, everybody needs to be afraid of AIDS. God's people
don't. God's people don't. No. Not going to bother you. Not
the least bit concerned about it. Not the least bit. None of these things can touch
one who dwells in the secret place. You reckon the plagues
and pestilence of this earth can invade His throne? That's
where you are. It's impossible, isn't it? Don't be afraid, listen, of the
destruction that wastes it at noonday. High noon. What do you
reckon that is? I know what that is. That's the
final judgment. That's the day of the Lord. That's
high noon. That's when the clock strikes
twelve. That's when God's going to deal with all so-called mankind. You don't have to be afraid of
that destruction that wasteth at noonday. Listen to this poem. Dear Lord, why should I doubt
Thy love or disbelieve Thy grace? Thy blessings have never been
removed. You've never hid your face. Your
grace has freed my heart from pain. My broken spirit cheered. And will you not appear again
where you've already appeared? Have you not formed my soul anew
and told me I am thine? Will you now your work undo and
break your word divine? Let no groundless fears destroy
the mercies now possessed. I'll praise you for blessings
I enjoy and I'll trust you for all the rest. That's what it
says. He that dwells in the secret
place of the Most High Holy God shall abide, lodge, continue
under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of
the Lord, my Jehovah, He's my refuge, He's my fortress. I will
say of my God, in Him I trust, and He will deliver me. He shall! From the snare of that fowler,
and from the Naughty, wicked, plague of sin and the curse of
the Lord. He'll cover me with His feathers
and under His wings I'll trust and His truth shall be my shield
and buckler, my promise to ward off the arrows of the enemy. And I don't have to be afraid of anything that happens under
the darkness. And I don't have to be afraid.
of bad news that flies by day. And I don't have to be afraid
of plagues and pestilences that God sends in judgment upon this
world. I'm not under His judgment, I'm
in His love. Don't have to be afraid. And
I don't have to fear that day at noon, high noon, when He's
going to walk the streets in wrath, like He did in Egypt. Don't have to be afraid. He said
in verse 7, listen, a thousand shall fall at your side, ten
thousand at your right hand, it won't come nigh you, it'll
be near you but not nigh you. They'll fall right at your right
hand. Even professors of religion quit, depart, it won't come nigh
you. Churches divide, fail and fall
and split, but it won't come nigh you. Religion decays and
disappears, but it shall not come nigh you. Near you, all
around you, the confusion and darkness and departure, but not
you. A thousand will fall at your
side, ten thousand near you, but not nigh you. It won't come
nigh you. Why? Because you're His. You're His special child. And
I tell you what you're going to see. Only with your eyes,
your own eyes, shall you behold and see the reward of the wicked.
You're going to see God deal with men. I've dealt with this
some time ago. But you'll see it right here
in this life. I've seen it. You've seen it. You'll see more
of it as you get older. When through the years, now listen
right here, when through the years, You see the judgment of
God to fall upon people who've ignored His Word, refused His Gospel, despised
His grace, walked in their own ways. You've seen God deal with
them. Yeah, you have. I have too. Turn
to Psalm 37. It talks about it over here. You've seen God eventually, their
foot will slide in due time. It will slide in due time. God
will finally deal with men. In Psalm 37, He said, wait on
the Lord. Verse 34, Psalm 37, 34, it says,
wait on the Lord, keep His way. He will exalt you. He will exalt you to inherit
the land. When the wicket is cut off, you
will see it. I've seen the wicked in great
power. I've seen them spreading themselves
like a great green bay tree, and yet they passed away. I saw
it. Lo, he was not. I sought him,
but I couldn't find him. He'd gone. That's what he's saying here
in Psalm 91, verse 8. With thine eyes shalt thou behold
and see the reward of the wicked. I'll tell you what it does. When
you see this, when you see those whom you've known or know
and they just reject and resist and rebel against His gospel,
against Him, and finally you see God deal with them and God
remove them from their place. I tell you, it does four things
to you. Sins over your solemn reverence
and awe and fear. Fear of God is an awe and a reverence
that falls upon your soul and heart when you see God deal with
a man in judgment. And another thing, it draws forth
pity from you. You feel sorry for him. You pity
him. You pity him. What a waste. What
could have been? What could have been? And then
thirdly, it lays you low in gratitude and thanksgiving that he has
protected us, that he has kept us from falling, that he has
not left us to ourselves. And then fourthly, it stirs up
adoration for the victory of the sovereign God. So be it. True and righteous are his judgments. True and righteous. Now, let's look at these closing
verses. Verse 8, said, With your eyes
you will behold, you are going to see God deal in judgment. Because thou hast made the Lord,
which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation, there
shall no evil befall you. Neither shall any plague come
nigh your dwelling. That's right. Do you know why
we dwell within the veil? Do you know why we're delivered
from the evil one? Do you know why we're covered
with his feathers and under his wings? Do you know why amid chaos
and plagues and pestilence and fear we go unharmed? Do you know
why God's mercies and blessings have been on this congregation
all these years as he has? Do you realize how protected
we've been? How blessed we've been? You know
why? Verse 9, because thou hast made
the Lord, which is my refuge, the most high thy habitation.
That's why. Here's a better translation.
Because thou, O Lord, art my refuge. He sought me and I sought
him. He called me and I called on
him. He came to me and I came to Him, because, O Lord, Thou
art my refuge, Thou art my habitation, Thou art my dwelling place. That's
why. And consequently, verse 10, there
shall no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come nigh your
dwelling, for He'll give His angels charge over thee to keep
thee in all thy ways. They'll protect you. That's right. His angels. encircle you, hedge
you about, protect you. Verse 12, and they'll bear you
up in their hands. They'll carry you, lest you dash
your foot against a stone. And listen, verse 13 says, you'll
tread upon the lion and the atter. The young lion and the dragon
shalt thou trample under feet. What's that mean? That's talking
to you and me. The rest of it's been written
to us, and it's Christ, but it's us in Christ. Every believer
has his enemies. They're numerous. Every believer
has his enemies. Our Lord said, Marvel not my
brethren, the world hates you, they hated me before they hated
you. But every believer has his enemies. They're numerous. They're
about him in the air, principalities and powers, rulers of the darkness.
They're around him in the world. But like his Lord, God has put
our enemies under our feet. That's right. Thou shalt tread
upon the lion and the adder. The lion, yeah, he's powerful,
I know. But God's put your enemies under
your feet. The adder, the ass, he's poisonous. I know that.
But you'll walk on him. You'll walk on him. Someday.
The young lion, that's the new enemies and the dragon, the old
enemies, you'll trample under your feet. That's right. That's
right. Trample them under your feet.
Thy enemies shall be thy footstool. In his time. In his time. Rest. Oh my, if we could just enter
into these promises, what rest it would afford, what
peace, what quietness of spirit, wouldn't it? What quietness of spirit. Alright,
here we have the Lord speaking now, of course, of Christ, His
chosen one, but In him, this sevenfold legacy goes to all
of his children. Listen to verse 14. This is my
closing remarks. Here's the sevenfold legacy.
This is as sure as the throne of God. This is as sure as the
word of God. This is as sure as the faith
and faithfulness of Christ. Because, because, somebody said
there's always a because. It's always a because. Because
Adam sinned, he fell. Because we sinned in Adam, we
died. Because Christ died, we live.
Because. Because Christ arose, we shall
rise. He said because I live, you live.
Because Christ reigns, we reign. It's a because. Always a because. That's the reason I said this
is not for everybody. It's for the because. Because
He has set His love on me. He set His love on me. And I
set my love on Him. I love Him because He loves me.
We love each other. Because. Down to the last line
in verse 14. Because He knows my name. He knows my name. I know His
name. Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Sidkenu,
Jehovah Rehah, Jehovah my Shepherd, Jehovah Shammah, Jehovah Shalom. I know his name. I call on him. He knows my name. He said, I
know you. I call you by name. Well, because. Sevenfold legacy. Number one,
verse 14, because he set his love on me, therefore I'll deliver
him. Therefore, I'll deliver him.
I'll save him. Save him from the penalty of
sin, from the power of sin, from the practice of sin. Someday
from the presence of sin. I'll deliver him. I want to show
you a verse. You've got to look at this. 2
Corinthians chapter 1. 2 Corinthians chapter 1. And this
is a hobby horse I ride all the time. I'm going to ride it a
little bit for a moment here. In 2 Corinthians 1 verse 9, we
had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not
trust in ourselves, but in God, which raiseth the dead, who delivered
us from so great a death, and doth deliver, in whom we trust,
he'll yet deliver. I'll deliver. Keep on delivering. I'm not delivered all the way
yet, but I'm being delivered. He hath delivered me, He is delivering
me, and I trust He will yet deliver me, because He set His love on
me, and He knows my name. He said, I'll deliver Him. Secondly,
I'll set Him on high. That's where we are in the secret
place. That's where we are in the shadow
of the Almighty, in the throne room, within the veil. I'll set
Him on high already. We're seated with Christ in the
Heavens. Verse 15, listen. He'll call
on me. I'll answer Him. He'll call on me. He'll feel
the need to call on me. He'll be led by the Holy Spirit
to call on me. He'll be taught when He calls
on me the things for which He should pray. that will glorify
my name. And I'll answer him. I'll answer
him. The blessings come, but not without
calling. He'll call on me and I'll answer
him. I'll answer him. And the next line says, and I'll
be with him in trouble. And I'll deliver him. How many
books could you all write on that? Trouble, trouble, trouble. It just looked like the trouble
was going to persist, but he led us through it, didn't he?
He delivered us out of it. It's over. It's over. It was real unpleasant while
we were in it, but it's over. It came to pass. It came to pass. I'll deliver him in trouble. I'll be with him in trouble and
I'll deliver him. Listen to the next line. And
I'll honor him I got to read this, John 12. This goes with
being honored. How does God honor people? Too much we seek the honor that
comes from me, and we need to leave that alone and seek this
honor. In John 12, verse 26. John 12,
26. If any man serve me, let him follow
me. And where I am, there shall also
my servant be. If any man serve me, him will
my Father honor." Christ. Honor Christ, God will honor
us. I stand here, and I said this to Brother Keehan
in the study a while ago, and all of those fellows were sitting
around me and fellowshiping and reading the Word and praying,
and I said, This is God's doings. This is marvelous. Here are people
here united in love and fellowship and been together for years and
years and years and years and years, loving the gospel, blessing
and helping others, generous, reaching out. God's blessed us. Here's a faithful missionary
sitting here in our midst, one with us. What an honor. God's honored you. Why? You've
honored his son. Next week Walter and Betty are
coming. We'll be honored to have God's choice servants here. To
have each other. God's honored us. And I'll tell
you why God's honored this church. Without, unashamedly, I say positively,
Jesus Christ gets the glory here. And that's the reason. That's
the sole reason. If you serve me, my Father will
honor you. That's just it. I'll honor him. I'll honor him. Keep on honoring
Christ. Glorifying Christ. These elders
get up here to preach and they honor Christ. They glorify Christ.
Christ gets the glory and the credit. No flesh is being exalted
around here. Christ is. And God's going to
honor that. He'll bless that, won't he? That's the key. I'll honor Him. And listen to
verse 60. With long life I'll satisfy Him. Now listen, let me read something
here. I'll satisfy Him with long life. This man or this woman
who dwells in the secret place, abides under the shadow of the
Almighty, who can say of the Lord, He is my refuge. This man
or woman will finish out his days. And whether he dies young
or old, he's satisfied with life here and content to leave it
and live there. But eternal life is long. He's not talking here about how
long I live here. How long I live here is just
a snap of the finger anyway.
Henry Mahan
About Henry Mahan

Henry T. Mahan was born in Birmingham, Alabama in August 1926. He joined the United States Navy in 1944 and served as a signalman on an L.S.T. in the Pacific during World War II. In 1946, he married his wife Doris, and the Lord blessed them with four children.

At the age of 21, he entered the pastoral ministry and gained broad experience as a pastor, teacher, conference speaker, and evangelist. In 1950, through the preaching of evangelist Rolfe Barnard, God was pleased to establish Henry in sovereign free grace teaching. At that time, he was serving as an assistant pastor at Pollard Baptist Church (off of Blackburn ave.) in Ashland, Kentucky.

In 1955, Thirteenth Street Baptist Church was formed in Ashland, Kentucky, and Henry was called to be its pastor. He faithfully served that congregation for more than 50 years, continuing in the same message throughout his ministry. His preaching was centered on the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified, in full accord with the Scriptures. He consistently proclaimed God’s sovereign purpose in salvation and the glory of Christ in redeeming sinners through His blood and righteousness.

Henry T. Mahan also traveled widely, preaching in conferences and churches across the United States and beyond. His ministry was marked by a clear and unwavering emphasis on Christ, not the preacher, but the One preached. Those who heard him recognized that his sermons honored the Savior and exalted the name of the Lord Jesus Christ above all.

Henry T. Mahan served as pastor and teacher of Thirteenth Street Baptist Church in Ashland, Kentucky for over half a century. His life and ministry were devoted to proclaiming the sovereign grace of God and directing sinners to the finished work of Christ. He entered into the presence of the Lord in 2019, leaving behind a lasting testimony to the gospel he faithfully preached.

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